Lyricist Shellee On Recognition and Working with Amit Trivedi and Anurag Kashyap Over the Years

It’s a fairly straightforward ask from lyricist and writer Shellee aka Shailender Singh Sodhi when it comes to what he wants as part of the music industry right now. “I do want to that my name – Shellee – is not misspelled. It’s a small name with few letters, but it has been spelled wrong at least 200 to 300 times. I’ve written it in lowercase, in uppercase… everything and there are still mistakes. It’s a very basic thing,” he says.

The mind behind the playful, emotive and spirited lyrics of songs like “Pardesi” from Dev.D, Shellee enjoys a longstanding friendship and association with composer-singer Amit Trivedi as well as filmmaker Anurag Kashyap. Since Dev.D in 2009, Shellee has gone on to work on Bollywood films like Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana, Udta Punjab, Veere Di Wedding, Manmarziyaan and more recently, Jersey and Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohabbat. A regular go-to collaborator with Trivedi, Shellee even contributed lyrics to the former’s solo album Jadu Salona, whose songs were divided between him, Puneet Sharma and Amitabh Bhattacharya.

While the spelling of his name might be a grouse, Shellee also points to the basics of being recognized as a part of the music industry – to be given royalties and credits where they’re due. “I’m sure some paan masala awards will make plenty of people happy, but it’s not enough. It doesn’t make me happy as much as getting royalties for my work and getting proper credit… with the right spelling of my name!” he says in his trademark wit.

In an interview with Rolling Stone India, Shellee speaks at length about his journey in the Indian film and music industry across projects, recalls the making of “Pardesi” and whether he’s glamorized certain topics like drug addiction through his work. Excerpts:

What kind of projects have you been recently drawn to as a lyricist? As one gains more experience and stature in this field of lyric writing, what do you hold as prerequisites, if any?

When it comes to being drawn to a project, if I’m liking the story, I’ll say yes to it. If the money is really good but the story is not good or the production house or team folks… then. When it comes to stature, people do think that I’ve done some projects that got a lot of attention so they say they can’t afford me. It’s not like that. I’m not on the level of Gulzaar saab or Javed Akhtar­ saab that you quote a fee and you get it.

If the story is good, project is good, the director/producer’s work is familiar or known to be good, that helps. Anurag Kashyap’s name of course comes up like this. But I’ve not had any sort of vast experience, although I worked with A.R. Rahman recently, that was a wonderful experience. That film, Pippa, is forthcoming.

Most of the time, we don’t get good briefs as lyricists. I look for clarity in thought [as a pre-requisite], what they want from us and what is the situation is of the song. The reality is that directors are often confused, perhaps because they haven’t worked on music before or have the knowledge about how to make music. But if they know what they want to get out of me as a lyricist, that’s pretty important.

When it comes to independent music, I look at who is the composer and what is the tune. If the tune is very good and melodious, it’s lovely. I look forward to working with Vishal Bhardwaj saab one day but the opportunity hasn’t come yet. He’s said we’ll work together, so I’m waiting for it.

In terms of the lyrics industry in India itself, it’s something that’s gone beyond niche to having a dedicated large fanbase, right? Are lyricists finally getting their due or is there still a long road to recognition?

It depends on whose recommendation you want. I don’t want the kind of recognition where my photos are printed in every paper or everyone’s talking about me. I would wish that people talk about the music team – the composer, the guitarist. It’s only when everyone comes together that a song becomes good.

I believe that with social media and with platforms like Spotify, more people are listening so yes, the audience has increased. There are more people who want to listen to us, but our community of lyricists and musicians – wish that true attention and recognition comes when we are paid our royalties, when we get our due. It’s the due in terms of rights and royalties but also the due recognition.

Music gets published a lot in India and by Indians all over the world, whether it’s on Facebook or the various apps. The consumption and appreciation is there, but it shouldn’t be just something in name. It should show in the credits and royalties.

What is it like working with the likes of Amit Trivedi right from his days in Dev.D to now? What has strengthened this sort of regular collaboration?

The reason why our work together turns out great is because when Dev.D happened, it was a cult album. Within that album of iconic music, there were many people present, like me, Amitabh Bhattacharya, Amit Trivedi and all the singers – everyone started a journey from there.

When you begin a journey like that together, your personal bond with those people also begins. It shows in all your work together till today. Most of the films that came my way had some involvement from Anurag Kashyap too. His faith in me and our work helped us keep putting out the kind of projects that came, be it Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana or Manmarziyaan and all the films in between.

My musical understanding with Amit Trivedi has always been great. Sometimes we understand each other instantly, other times we don’t understand each other at all and get into arguments, but in a loving way. There’s often a silence that goes on for hours when you fight with someone but then we eventually come around and accept each other’s viewpoints and hug it out. We get great music out of those arguments. Good music has to come from these kinds of creative disagreements, otherwise how will it happen? Somewhere or the other, a person will have a different thought. But you have the same overall vision. It’s a give and take relationship.

You’ve characterized quite a few bold themes in your lyrics, like you did famously for “Chitta Ve.” You’re serving the character and the story of Udta Punjab there, but it also arguably glamorizes the life of this character and drug use. How do you look back on it?

Whenever you talk about a gangster or a drug addict in a film, or about a serial killer, even. If it turns out great, then the characters become really memorable. The gray shades and the dark sides these characters have, they are always there. When you say glamorizing them, I suppose we are just showing it for what it is.

In “Chitta Ve,” we’re talking about cocaine, but we don’t want anyone to try it. The character – played by Shahid Kapoor – does cocaine and that’s when the song comes in, when he’s feeling his kink. But then later on, there’s another song “Da Da Dasse” that comes in when he’s feeling the withdrawal symptoms.

Things do get glamorized, because this is Indian cinema and it’s larger than life. People like dark characters, like the one of Don Corleone in The Godfather. Whether these dark characters are scaring you or making you think, it’ll get glamorized all the same, because you’re seeing this on the big screen.

“Chitta Ve” as well as Udta Punjab was based on research that Abhishek Chaubey did about drug abuse in Punjab. I think people relate to it whether they were themselves into drugs or have kicked the addiction.

Among the most famous works came for “Pardesi” from Dev.D as well. Tell us about it.

I met Anurag Kashyap for the first time, through Amit. I didn’t feel starstruck about meeting him, that I’m meeting a director who had made some great films. He told me the situation and asked me if I would write a song about it. He never tells you that, ‘Aisa hi hona chahiye’ [it has to be this way].

He tells you a bit about the situation and says it needs a fun song or a romantic song. It’s understood that we try and make it different from what’s already out there. He asked me if I knew Haryanvi and I said yes. Then he asked if I knew Punjabi; I said yes. I told him my Punjabi might be difficult to understand for audiences. He said, ‘Koi problem nahi hain. Likhna jo likhna hai.’ [That’s no problem, write what you have to write]. When Anurag Kashyap says this, that’s when great songs are made.

Whether he gives a reference or anything of that sort, the faith he has in Amit Trivedi, Amitabh Bhattacharya or I, it leads to great music. He just doesn’t interfere.

With “Pardesi,” there are really different lyrics. It became a really cult song and heard all over India and the world. It has Haryanvi lyrics like “Ib ke hovegaa agge yaar/Mann bawri bawri puchh sa laage.” The contrast that’s there, seen in the visuals as well – with two people dancing in his hip-hop way. The lyrics are very desi and it’s the language of Delhi, its surrounding areas and Haryana. The contrast was so beautiful. I feel if there was anyone other than Anurag, they would have said to add English songs since it’s a club song.

He breaks past the limitations that way. That’s why authors write their own books, because they don’t have to be answerable to anyone in that process. We got that kind of freedom with songs like “Pardesi.”

What else is coming up for you in 2023 in terms of projects?

We’ve just had Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohabbat, an Anurag Kashyap film and then Gulmohar, which stars Manoj Bajpayee and is directed by Rahul V. Chittella. This was recent work. Coming up is Pippa with Rahman saab and Raja Menon is the director there. Then there’s Tiku Weds Sheru, which is a Kangna Ranaut production. There’s a little film – well, actually there’s no such thing as a little film or a big film, I mean production-wise and with a limited release or it goes straight to OTT – called Ittar. There are a few web series where work is ongoing.